Government urged to comply with Abuja Declaration on health
Members of the West African Health Services Union (WAHSUN) Ghana, has as a matter of urgency been urged to take the necessary steps to scale-up the national budgetary allocation to the health sector in conformity with the Abuja Declaration on Health.
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It said Ghana, as a member of ECOWAS, should increase budgetary allocation to 15 per cent and also implement all other declarations of ECOWAS on the health of the people of the sub-region.
This was contained in a communique issued at the end of the two-day WAHSUN Ghana country level workshop organised in Accra last Thursday under the auspices of the Public Services International and the Finish Trade Union Congress (PSI/SASK ).
The workshop was on the theme: “Enhancing Health Sector Productivity through Collaboration among MOH/WAHO and Health Sector Unions” which was attended by members of the two-member unions of WAHSUN—Health Services Workers’ Union of TUC and the Ghana Registered Nurses Association.
Members of the union reaffirmed their commitment to social dialogue with all social partners in the health sector of Ghana and the West African sub-region to ensure harmonious industrial relations and a peaceful working environment within the health sector.
They also reaffirmed their support for the sub-regional integration agenda in line with the ECOWAS Protocol on Free Movement of Goods and People within the sub-region and the health integration process.
The communique said WAHSUN remained resolute in its pursuit of building a formidable relationship with WAHO to collaborate, cooperate and partner the ECOWAS, specialised agency on health in discharging its mandate to ensure “the highest possible standard of health for the people of the sub-region through harmonisation of health policies, pooling of resources and corporation for a collective and strategic combat against endemic health problems”.
It said ECOWAS, through its 15-member states, should as a matter of priority, take steps to deal with occupational health, safety and environment issues to ensure a safe working environment for health workers and their clients within the sub-region in line with various policies, legislation and protocols, both at the level of ECOWAS and country level. He also mentioned that of particular interest, was the issue of the supply of retractable syringes and needles to prevent injuries arising from the use of needles.
